The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7384 p66
21 January 2006

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EGFR mutations can affect drug response

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations can modulate differential responses to erlotinib and gefitinib, according to a case study published in Nature Clinical Practice Oncology this month (2006;3:50).

A patient with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and extensive brain metastases who did not respond to erlotinib showed a remarkable response to gefitinib, they say. Two mutations in the EGFR gene were identified, one of which (E884K) increases sensitivity to gefitinib inhibition and reduces sensitivity to erlotinib inhibition.